By Chibuike Nwabuko
ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – Renowned writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has recounted, in harrowing detail, the final hours of her young son, Nkanu, accusing a Lagos hospital and an anesthesiologist of fatal negligence that led to the child’s death during what was meant to be routine medical procedures.
According to Chimamanda, the family had travelled to Lagos for Christmas when Nkanu developed what initially appeared to be a minor cold. The illness, however, rapidly deteriorated into a serious infection, prompting his admission to Atlantis Hospital. Plans were already in place for Nkanu to be flown to the United States on January 7, accompanied by travelling doctors, with a specialist team at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore prepared to receive him.
Ahead of the planned medical evacuation, doctors recommended a lumbar puncture test, an MRI scan, and the insertion of a central line to facilitate intravenous medication during the flight. Atlantis Hospital subsequently referred the family to Euracare Hospital, described to them as the best-equipped facility to carry out the procedures.
On the morning of January 6, Chimamanda said Nkanu was carried by his father from Atlantis to Euracare. She was informed that the child would be sedated to prevent movement during the MRI and central line insertion. While waiting outside the operating theatre, she noticed a sudden rush of medical personnel into the room — a moment she said instantly signaled that something had gone terribly wrong.
Shortly afterward, a doctor informed her that Nkanu had been administered an excessive dose of propofol by the anesthesiologist, rendering him unresponsive. Though he was reportedly resuscitated, the situation quickly worsened. Nkanu was placed on a ventilator, intubated, and moved to the intensive care unit. Soon after came reports of seizures and cardiac arrest — complications Chimamanda stressed had never occurred before.Hours later, Nkanu was dead.
Chimamanda revealed that the child was allegedly never properly monitored after receiving the excessive anesthetic. She said the anesthesiologist casually carried the sedated child on his shoulder to the theatre, making it impossible to determine when Nkanu became unresponsive. Even more troubling, she alleged that after the central line procedure, the anesthesiologist switched off the child’s oxygen and again carried him unmonitored to the ICU.
“How can you sedate a sick child and neglect to monitor him?” she asked, describing the actions as “criminally negligent,” “fatally casual,” and a gross violation of medical protocol.
“We brought in a child who was unwell but stable and scheduled to travel the next day,” Chimamanda said. “We came to conduct basic procedures. And suddenly, our beautiful little boy was gone forever.”
The grieving mother disclosed that the family has since learned of at least two previous cases in which the same anesthesiologist allegedly overdosed children. She questioned why Euracare Hospital allowed him to continue practicing despite these incidents.
“This must never happen to another child,” she declared, adding that the loss of her son is a nightmare she believes she will never fully survive.
Precise Post recalls that her account has reignited urgent conversations around patient safety, medical oversight, and accountability within Nigeria’s healthcare system, as calls grow for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding Nkanu’s death and the conduct of those involved.
